The present invention relates to a trunnion assembly for pivotally supporting a weapons carrier on a support member, which may be part of a rotatable turret mounted on a vehicle.
It is well-known in the art to mount various types of weapons carriers on turrets attached to the roof of an armored vehicle. The weapon carrier must be pivotally supported on the turret support to enable the operator to rapidly adjust the elevational angle of the weapon prior to firing. Thus, it is necessary to have a trunnion assembly interconnecting the weapon carrier to the turret support to achieve this variable elevation.
The tunnion assembly should also be relatively lightweight to minimize the complexity and the bulkiness of the turret, and should also facilitate the assembly of the weapon carrier to the turret, if possible. When the weapon carrier is supported between a pair of parallel members on the turret, the trunnion assembly should facilitate the insertion of the weapon carrier between the parallel support members.